David Heath MP

MP for Somerton and Frome

David Heath has been the MP for Somerton and Frome since 1997.

He was born in Westbury-sub-Mendip, Somerset and attended Millfield School before going on to study at St John's College Oxford, (MA Physiological Sciences) and the City University, London. On leaving University in 1979, he went into practice as a registered optician.

His political career began in 1985, when he was elected to Somerset County Council as a Liberal, remaining on the county council continuously until May 1997. He served as Leader of the Council from 1985 to 1989, and leader of the opposition from 1989 to 1991. In 1989 he was awarded the CBE for political service.

David is married and has two children. He lives in the heart of the constituency at Witham Friary between Frome and Bruton.

Parliamentary Experience

After entering Parliament, David became Liberal Democrat frontbench spokesman on Foreign Affairs and then spokesman for Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

2001 – 2005: Liberal Democrat spokesman for Work, as part of the shadow Work & Pensions team

2001 – 2002: spokesman for Science

2001 – 2003: number two in the Home Affairs team

2002 – 2005: spokesman for the Lord Chancellor's Department (latterly known as the Department for Constitutional Affairs)

2003 – 2005: instrumental in setting up the All Party Parliamentary Group on Eye Health and Visual Impairment

May 2005: appointed Liberal Democrat Shadow Leader of the House of Commons

January 2006: reappointed Shadow Leader of the House, as well as Shadow Cabinet Office Minister and given a special roving brief for human rights and civil liberties

July 2007: appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor. This involves shadowing Jack Straw in the new department created by PM Gordon Brown, which covers justice, legal matters, prisons and constitutional reform

Autumn 2008: invited to lead a Liberal Democrat commission on privacy

2010: served as the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons and was promoted in 2012 to become Minister of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in DEFRA